It’s the story of a missing cat that started in 2009, when little Cleo, then a kitten, went missing in Ontario.
“I thought she was dead because we lost her a long time ago,” owner Amanda Graham said.
At the time, Graham was studying in Kemptville, Ontario – the search for Cleo finally ended when Graham moved back to Alberta.
“It was hard, hard having to give up on an animal,” Graham said.
The feline was missing for years – then, in September, 2014, she was picked up by the pound in Brockville, Ontario. The animal was put on a list of pets to be euthanized.
That’s when Stuck in the Mud Animal Rescue, and Betty-Jean Matthews stepped in.
Matthews took the cat for a routine check-up, and the vet discovered Cleo had a tattoo – the number was traced back to Edmonton, but didn’t lead directly to an owner.
“I said to my daughter ‘I need you to play pet detective’,” Matthews said, in a phone interview with CTV News.
Three potential owners were identified, including one on Facebook – Amanda Graham.
“We were able to scan through her photos and there we found photos of Cleo,” Matthews said.
Matthews initiated contact with the suspected owner.
“I woke up to a message on Facebook from Betty Jean in Ontario, and she said she had found my cat,” Graham said.
However, one hurdle stands in the way of their reunion – Graham couldn’t pay the cost to fly Cleo back to Edmonton, so Matthews turned to the online world to help.
“It was just amazing, the outpouring of support and well-wishers from everyone across Canada, for this little cat and her owner,” Matthews said. “It’s just marvelous.”
Hours later, enough money had been raised to send Cleo to Alberta, the support overwhelming for Graham.
“I have no idea who these people are, I’ve never met them,” Graham said. “It’s pretty incredible what they’re doing to try and get Cleo back to me.”
Cleo will be coming home to Alberta April 4, Matthews said.
With files from Susan Amerongen
